JML Fresh Air Globe > Reviews (15)

When I first lived away from home and out of Scotland, I eventually left halls of residence with an opportunity to move into a flat with friends. I had to share a flat with four others in what could be described as a property which never really had a loving family to take care of it; the bedrooms were large which is probably why I plucked for a room but the living areas on a communal level were best kept as best as students could cope with - a lack of ventilation, the need for many table fans and the worst aspect of all - the all fitted tacky 1970's kitchen with a lousy cooker hood to cope with the smells that seldom worked. For that purpose I bought an air purifier. Near ten years later I still owned that Mountain Breeze purifier for the simple reason that filters were easy to buy and if not; they could be washed and reused. However in 2006, it finally died following a clean out which rendered the motor useless. The motor on its own only cost a fifth of the power of a light bulb, so it was time to look for another air purifier, low cost both on price and had to at least have achievable results as well as being simple to maintain. Back in late 2006 then, my JML Fresh Air Globe cost £39-99.

The JML Fresh Air Globe

If you don't have satellite or cable TV then there is a chance you haven't seen the influx of air purifiers which have come on the market; they all do the same if you have to put water in it and has a fan to extract the dirty air into the water and pump out clean air on the other side. Here is where JML's Fresh Air Globe comes in. Whilst it may well cost £40 which is by market reactions, costs as much as standard air purifiers which still use charcoal and HEPA identifiable filters which either need to be replaced or can be washed, the Fresh Air Globe uses no other filter than the water contained in the bottom of the bowl.

Nar2's Quick Skip Product Spec

• Claims to scrub the air and deposits the dirt back into the water.
• Low fan, 15 watt power motor; very quiet and one speed only.
• Choice of several coloured LED lights for a "calming" sensation.
• Choice of silver body or pearl/cream body.
• Plastic build quality; pearl top with clear acrylic water collecting bowl.
• Size 21cm by 12cm.
• Price £39-99 in 2006/7.
• 2011 year Prices £29-99 (JML website) to £39-99.

Setting Up/Assembly

Out of the box you'll find an adaptor similar to the kinds you get with electric home keyboards, hand held games and similar equipment. Here you get 24 volts which powers the 15 watt motor fan which spins the water around the bowl. There isn't much to do with this air purifier other than to fill it with water by twisting off the pearly plastic top and filling the bowl under tap to the line marked. There are actually three lines on the bowl rim to show how much water you can put in but I've only filled it with a quarter of water each time and left it on for five full days to see how each quarter lasts.

For starters, there are actually two power points on the main bowl rest of the Fresh Air Globe which means the bowl rest has to be used if you want to use the Globe to clean your air.

This isn't a hardship but the cord which travels from the motor to push into the sockets located on the base is short whilst the additional adaptor socket cord has to be fitted into another socket on the same base. There by the two holes is the rocker switch button to activate the fan.

As such once the bowl is filled with water, then screw on the top half and put it back onto the base. It has to be level otherwise the fan won't be able to spin the water around, as this is what happens with the main spindle's bottom touching or being submerged by the water.

Once it is all set up, all you have to do is switch on and all you'll hear is a gentle whirr of a fan with hardly any motor noise.

Light Colour Options & Features

Located at the middle at the front of the base is a little plastic push in button. This then activates the lovely colour light display which of course lights up any room but calmly, not designed to agitate, although there are some colour differentiations you may not enjoy but the you can play about by pushing the button to activate different colours such as green, red, blue and then mixed colours such as a light blue (my favourite), a purple and a greenish blue colour is also available. No light is also possible which is what I try to put it on; after all I didn't buy it for its light fantastic display but rather to see if it actually works, and if it does as it reportedly does, to "scrub and clean the air."

Two bottles of aromatherapy oil are included. With mine, I got Lavender and Eucalyptus plus of course you get a guide of what you can buy from JML and online stockists. The oils are designed to be added to the water such as a couple of drops. I have only used this option once since I use pot pourri oil instead to freshen a room and found that the Globe does a great job of supplying this fresh scent. I also wash the bowl out with soapy hot water to make sure none of the oily residue is left so that I can add other oils or have just water to clean the air.

As opposed to pot pourri oil which is clear the JML essences are milky white which dulls the water to a cloudy appearance. The scents are strong but not overpowering which is an advantage to the general scents supplied. But because they dilute the water, the tiniest particles of dirt and odour in the air gets sucked in and makes the water dirtier than clear scent liquids which make the initial fill up of water last longer.

JML show that there are actually two different models you can buy of the Globe; the pearly cream version which is the original version and a silver model. Either way it's up to you which colour you can buy, but I rather like the cream pearly version as it blends in with most household decors. Importantly though it is extremely easy to wipe down if the body of the Globe gets dirty.

Performance

One of the aspects of this fan is just how quiet it is, and indeed after a while apart from the slight sloshing of water the Globe settles down fairly quickly and early on.

No matter how much water you put in, the motor is very quiet and you hardly notice anything in terms of sensory movement. Other than the quiet whirr you'll hear a slight swishing of the water as it is moved around the bowl, and like Dyson you'll see water (instead of dirt) being spun around gently like waves. I don't think that you are supposed to watch it like a mirror, but JML will have you believe that it can be quite calming for the sole reason that Aromatherapy oils can be added to the water to release an extra scent to the air.

Firstly though, the air in my rooms both got gunged up either with tobacco smoke or cooking smells from the kitchen. So the mix of both had quite a lot of bad scent hanging in the air anyway. After switching the Globe on and letting it do its work the air doesn't appear to be fresh but its magic is more noticeable if you leave the room. After an hour therefore the air is considerably cleaner when I came back into the room. It may take some time for you to notice the change in the air quality wherever you place or locate the Globe in your home but it should only ever be switched on when all windows are closed. I had it in my kitchen near to the sofa by the window, so whenever food was burnt, the Globe was switched on to eradicate bad odour. I also had it in my bedroom and it worked well there too. Importantly it does a good job, just as good as my old Mountain Breeze air purifier and its less noisier too with less faffing about other than changing the water.

The positioning however is entirely up to you but the one page manual does warn not to put the Globe near heaters or radiators for the sole reason that any heat will deter the fan as well as perhaps melt the plastic!

Although there is no actual cut out to this motor, the base can get quite warm only because of the lights, so if you must put it on carpet I advise to put it on a board first of all, a bit like a small chopping board or similar to conduct the heat from the base.

Water Consumption

Over a 24 hour period I did notice quite a lot of the water disappearing after I had put some into the bowl. This is an ordinary sign that not only is the Globe working but the water I had put in was clear and this time it was quite cloudy and dirty. This is the visible warning then to empty out the water and replace it with clean fresh cold tap water. There are markings on the bowl, two which travel around the rim of the bowl to indicate what levels of water can be put in, and these are easy to spot both when filling the bowl and in use.

Other days, of which a small quantity of water has been put in, I found the water doesn't disappear as much but then again it depends on what kind of atmosphere your Globe has to cope with; less smells and allergens hanging about tend to keep the water in than areas which are heavy with odours.

One other advantage I must stress is that despite the Globe's appeal, if there is any reason to buy this product alone then its simply for the fact that it does pump out fresh clean air and thankfully does away with coldness you would find by simply opening a window!

Here in Scotland this kind of Globe therefore is a god send thanks to the nights with freezing cold and chilly air. My windows are permanently locked shut for the sole reason of not being chilly!

Downsides

* The finish on this product is okay for the price although it is pearly beige and a clear plastic bowl with a pearly base. It does however look cheap because of the LED light change button. If it had a clear top it would look like a crystal ball from a distance!

* The appliance should carry a warning that it does feature a strobe light option. I noticed it when I was selecting the light patterns and this was one of the options which started flashing furiously when I was going through the menu.

* The fan is made of thin plastic, but locked out of harms way so that it doesn't get broken. However, when it starts to get dirty, the impellers are very difficult to access.

* Water consumption goes down quickly - After a two day continual use even with a full bowl of water, I've noticed my Globe has a tendency to run out of water. It's easy to see the level of course, but more so by the central spindle which allows the creation of the small cyclone effect. Once the water starts to disappear I have thought about the amount of dampness in the air because obviously the air which the machine is pumping out is also taking the water with it, but I've suffered from coughs due to dampness before and so far the Globe hasn't produced any adverse effects.

* The essences which JML charge are really expensive. You can find different essences such as Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Sandalwood, Lavender, or Rose scented oils for example but they cost £6-99 to £9-99 each and that's only for 5ml per vial. They are purely Aromatherapy oils, not designed for on skin contact and in this respect I feel you could find cheaper sets of Aromatherapy oils at private health food stores as well as Boots and other high street outlets.

Final Thoughts

Priced around the £30 to £50 mark for an air purifier this appears to be the average price where most air purifiers begin at, and whilst it doesn't have a posh look, the JML Fresh Air Globe blends in well without being too ostentatious, yet is simple to maintain - in the short term.

Most consumers however may well buy it purely for the fun of the LED's as they come through the clear water and the bowl itself to add a subtle colour of light designed to heighten the senses in any room you choose to place this in. Clearly with the fact that it comes with two starter oils to get you started on calming your senses, this appliance is good on both levels of supplying oily scent into the air as well as cleaning the air without anything being in the water. For pet owners this is an ideal air purifier which eliminates most pet odour, and being contained won't harm pets and overall at least you have the option to add scent or not.

By 2008 however my JML Fresh Air Globe stopped working completely. After an increased amount of use, my JML fan refused to switch on and instead a puff of smoke could be seen coming from the top of the vent.

Although the middle spindle is removable after pushing out lugs and then unlocking the main panel which holds it in place, was cleaned out, the fan impellers still refused to shift. Where once I'd have given this product a much higher rating, the fact that the fan is so difficult to get at when it starts to go wrong, means it is merely average now and sits amongst many copy types that are cheaper and even simpler to own. What a pity JML has refused to change the fan design - otherwise this could be a better model - and the gunk that the fan stops working on seems to be congealed oil deposits which stem from the oils that this machine comes with! Thanks for reading! (C)Nar2 2011

www.jmldirect.com